Lab Report

We had a lab report that was due last week and was rather lengthy. So I worked through the problems together with my friend. We had to turn in individual lab reports. Apparently the TA thought they were too "simliar" and showed it to the professor. Now I got a letter in the mail from the Student Honor Council pending a hearing, which means I am going to get a big fat XF on my transcript...... I am so pissed off I can't see straight right now...

It said in the letter that I got today:

If the accused student has no prior record of academic dishonesty or serious disciplinary misconduct {6}, the Dean or designee and the student may reach an agreement concerning how the case should be resolved. The standard "XF" grade penalty will normally be imposed if it is agreed by the student that he/she committed an act of academic dishonesty. Any other sanction agreed upon by the student and the Dean or designee will constitute a recommendation to the Honor Council, and must be supported by a written statement signed by the student and the dean or designee. The written statement will be reviewed by the Honor Council {7}, which shall inform both the student and the Dean or designee of the sanction imposed.

If the Honor Board finds that an attempt or act of academic dishonesty did occur, it shall impose an appropriate sanction. The normal sanction for an undergraduate student shall be a grade of "XF" in the course. The normal sanction for a graduate student shall be dismissal (suspension or expulsion) from the University. The Honor Board may impose a lesser or more severe sanction. generally acts involving advance planning, falsification of papers, conspiring with others, or some actual or potential harm to other students will merit a severe sanction, i.e. suspension or expulsion , even for a first offense. An attempt to commit an act shall be punished to the same extent as the consummated act.

............If you will excuse me, I think I am going to go throw up now...

Meet with the professor, unless you think he/she is completely inflexible. I'd bet he's going on the word of the TA and hasn't even looked at the two reports. Ask him to define the difference between collaboration and cheating, and then see how your case compares to his own standard. Be direct and let him know you take this seriously, but without being confrontational.

Your best bet is to nip this in the bud directly with the professor. You'll probably get more sympathy from him than you'll get from the bureaucrats looking to rubber stamp your case.

If at all possible, get a former prof, advisor, lab TA to write you a letter testifying to your character. The burden in student affairs cases always is guilty until proven innocent, so you need to approach this like a court case.

I have tried to contact the professor, but the problem is that once he reports it to the Honor board is he not allowed to talk with the student until the hearing.

Yeah, typical administrative nonsense. It breaks every precedent of due process that would be extended to a violent criminal, but not a student. You, the accused, walks in completely blind. You'll never get the opportunity to question or cross-examine the people who accuse you. You'll be lucky if you even get to speak on your behalf.

Can you confront the TA or is that also taboo? Do you at least have a copy of the lab report? Don't admit anything and make them point out exactly where and what you broke the policy. Find out exactly what the policy is and fight the letter of the law.

There may be outside resources to contact concerning this. There's a group called FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) that handles primarily political/free speech issues but which also concerns itself with legal rights and due process for students. Many campuses have a pro-bono attorney to give legal advice to students. Even your local ACLU might point you in the right direction. A state univeristy probably will give you more options than a private one.

I told you, the professor already told me he can't talk with me until the hearing this monday.

Go up to him and before he can say a word, say "Is this an april fools joke?". I mean... if they mailed you the letter and you just happened to get it today, it's probably not a joke... but if they handed it to you or something or it was through internal mail.... be suspicious. At the start, you probably want to say you have a lawyer because if it's a joke, they'll stop it immediately :tongue2: Otherwise.... well good thing you have a lawyer.